We shan't live The Good Life until 2020

After he directed the delightful Deadly Premonition, I'd follow Hidetaka "Swery" Suehiro into Hull and back for a new game about the characters, curiosities, and killings of rural life. Thankfully, all I must do for The Good Life is wait a while longer. Swery's new studio, White Owls, have announced they're delaying The Good Life so they can, y'know, finish it and make it proper good. After the jank of Deadly Premonition, there is no developer in the world I would give more time for refinement.

The Good Life is the tale of an American photojournalist who gets stranded in an English village where a mysterious murder has happened and, also, people turn into cats and dogs at night. As well as probing the village's mysteries, she's simply trying to earn a living by putting her camera to use on on missions for localfolk. Previously due to (and Kickstarted with the estimate that it would) launch around November 2019, it's now expected in spring 2020.

"We're very sorry about this, because we know you've all been waiting very patiently for The Good Life," Swery said in yesterday's announcement. "We only came to the decision due to prioritising the quality of the game above all else."

I am 100% okay with this. I'm always glad when developers get enough time to improve games and yes, yes, give this game time. I'll wait.

Do see the post for an update on development progress too, including a video demonstrating some of Naomi's adventures and another comparing the old look with the new. White Owls show off fancier new art (it looks nice), a 'beauty care' system (I have such fond memories of paying "stinky agent" fines to the FBI for not cleaning my suits often enough), gardening, and oh so many things to eat oh my god look at all that food.

I haven't seen such a spread since I gorged on a gravekeeper's endlessly-respawning canned green tomatoes while squatting in his graveyard shack.